Researchers create insect-inspired autonomous navigation strategy for small, lightweight robots

Small, 56 gram “CrazyFlie” drone that can navigate back to a starting location using an insect-inspired navigation strategy. Credit: Guido de Croon / TU Delft | MAV Lab Have you ever wondered how insects can travel so far from their home and still find their way? The answer to this question is not only relevant … Read more

Researchers show how to build ‘time-traveling’ quantum sensors

Fisher information achievable with single-qubit sensor. Credit: Physical assessment letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.260801 The idea of ​​time travel has baffled sci-fi fans for years. Science tells us that traveling into the future is technically feasible—at least if you’re willing to travel close to the speed of light—but going back in time is a no-go. But … Read more

Promising solar energy material gets curious boost from entropy, researchers show

Lead author Kushal Rijal (right) and Neno Fuller (left) performed the TR-TPPE measurement using the ultrahigh-power vacuum photoemission spectroscopy system shown in the image. Credit: Kushal and Fuller Solar energy is crucial to a clean energy future. Traditionally, solar energy has been harvested using silicon, the same semiconductor material used in everyday electronic devices. But … Read more

Researchers discover a new form of scientific fraud: revealing ‘hidden references’

Source: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A researcher working alone, disconnected from the world and the wider scientific community, is a classic but misleading image. In reality, research is based on continuous exchange within the scientific community: first you understand the work of others, then you share your findings. Reading and writing articles published in scientific journals … Read more

Researchers achieve time reversal through input-output indeterminacy

Experimental setup of the superposition of quantum evolution and its inverse evolution. Credit: Prof. Li Chuanfeng’s team A research team has constructed a coherent superposition of quantum evolution with two opposite directions in a photonic system and confirmed its advantage in characterizing input-output indeterminacy. The study was published in Physical assessment letters. The idea that … Read more

Researchers predict new phase in neutron stars that favors ‘nuclear pasta’

Phase diagram as a function of the total density 𝑛 and the proton fraction 𝑥 at N3⁢LO. The neutron droplet and proton droplet phases are given by the regions enclosed by the blue and red lines. Credit: Physical assessment letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.232701 Neutron stars are extreme and mysterious objects that astrophysicists cannot see inside. … Read more

MIT researchers introduce generative AI for databases

A new tool makes it easier for database users to perform complex statistical analyses on table data without having to know what’s happening behind the scenes. GenSQL, a generative AI system for databases, can help users make predictions, detect anomalies, guess missing values, fix errors, or generate synthetic data with just a few keystrokes. For … Read more

Ancient volcanic eruption not catalyst for early cultural innovations of Homo sapiens, researchers say

Grotta di Castelcivita. Above: The location of the cave (indicated by a white arrow) at the foot of the Alburni massif in the Campania region, southern Italy. Below: The excavation trench of the Upper Paleolithic layers. Credit: University of Tübingen An international team of researchers from the universities of Tübingen (Dr. Armando Falcucci), Siena and … Read more

Researchers solve mystery of Antikythera mechanism with modern methods

Angle down icon An icon in the shape of a downward pointing corner. A fragment of the 2,200-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the oldest surviving mechanical calculating device, is on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Associated Press/Thanassis Stavrakis Researchers believe they have solved the 2,200-year-old mystery of the Antikythera Mechanism. The … Read more

Carpenter ants are the only other animals known to amputate besides humans, researchers say | CNN

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more. CNN — People are not the only ones who can perform amputations to save lives. A new study has found that carpenter ants in Florida bite off the injured limbs of nestmates, depending on the … Read more